Database In Progress

Thank you for visiting the Ohio University Continental Neoichnology Database. We are currently working on creating the database and synthesizing data. Please check back regularly for updates.

Welcome to the Continental Neoichnology Database

This database is designed to facilitate the access of neoichnological information for educators, students, paleontologists and anyone else interested in learning about terrestrial burrowing animals, their behaviors, and the traces they produce in a variety of sediments and soils. This database is designed with two avenues through which neoichnological information can be obtained.

The first avenue is via the animals which create burrows. The linked photo above, titled ‘Organisms’, directs the user to a page listing all of the animals studied in this laboratory. Each animal then has an individual page with background information about the morphology, behaviors, and natural history of the animal as well as photos, videos, and a list of each type of burrow the animal has produced in the laboratory. As one animal may create multiple different styles of burrow, this is can be an extensive list. Additionally, there is a direct link to downloadable PDF and Excel files containing more detailed information and data.

The second avenue is via the burrows created by the animals. The linked photo above titled ‘Traces’ directs the user to a page listing all of the burrows and other biogenic structures produced in this laboratory. Each type of trace then has an individual page with detailed descriptions, photos, and a list of each animal that has been observed to create that particular style of trace. As one type of trace may be created by multiple different animals, this is can be an extensive list. Additionally, there is a direct link to downloadable PDF and Excel files containing more detailed information and data.

The Database

The Continental Neoichnology Database is designed to provide access to comprehensive neoichnological data to students, educators, and researchers.

About CIRL

The Ohio University Continental Ichnology Research Laboratory (CIRL) is a teaching and research laboratory with the purpose of investigating the behaviors and biogenic structures produced by modern continental organisms in order to better interpret trace fossils preserved in continental deposits throughout geologic time. The CIRL is funded by the generous support of Ohio University, the OU Department of Geological Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.